Windsor & Maidenhead’s council leader is facing a motion of no confidence after his controversial open letter to the police asking them to remove homeless people ahead of the royal wedding.
Opposition councillor Wisdom Da Costa issued a statement on Facebook yesterday confirming his group had requested a motion of no confidence in Cllr Simon Dudley.
He said the council leader’s letter had brought the ‘council and councillors into disrepute’.
Cllr Dudley, who is also the leader of the council’s Conservative group, wrote to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the Thames Valley last week requesting the police do more to tackle ‘aggressive begging and intimidation’ by homeless people.
The letter provoked an outcry and homeless charities criticised the councillor for his suggestion homelessness was a choice and that law enforcement should be used to deal with the problem.
There are also reports Cllr Dudley is facing a vote of no confidence to remove him as leader of the Conservative group.
A party source told the Maidenhead Advertiser: ‘This is a back him or sack him motion. This isn’t a vote about homelessness but about the handling of the issue.
The Conservative group has been approached for comment.
